THE GREAT MIGRATION - HIJRAH

1st Muharram 1435 Hijrah.

FIRSTLY, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MUSLIMS AROUND THE WORLD!! 

It is great to note that Islam is currently the largest religion in the world with 2.04 billion believers. And it is not stopping there, because Islam is also the fastest growing religion in the world. 

Read religion population Here.

It is humbling to know that it all started from that great migration by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and the Muslims from Mecca to Madinah 1435 years ago. That migration was a very significant event in the Islamic civilization because it marks the beginning of a Muslim government, led by non-other than the Prophet himself. That great migration is known as 'Hijrah'.

Hijrah was indeed the beginning of a great civilization. But I must say that outside of the Muslim community, little is actually known to the world about the story before the great migration. So to appreciate the Hijrah better, let us revisit some of the events leading to that great migration, shall we?

From the beginning, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was an orphan at a very young age. His father, Abdullah bin Abdul Muttalib, died before he was even born and his mother, Aminah, passed away not long after he was born. Muhammad (SAW) may be an orphan, but he is certainly NOT a nobody in the tribal community of Mecca. He is a member of an elite family, the well-respected Bani Hashim tribe, which is the leader of all tribes at that time and having a clear linage to Prophet Ismail.

His grandfather, Abdul Muttalib bin Hashim was a pious and well-respected public figure of his time. And when Abdul Muttalib passed away, the leadership baton was handed down to his sons, who were uncles to Muhammad (SAW) – Abu Talib, Abu Jahal, Abu Lahab, Abu Sufian and Hamzah to name a few. Among them, Abu Talib was selected to succeed Abdul Muttalib as the tribe's chief. They were the governing family of Mecca, which is the center of religious pilgrimage and idol worship at the time.

Mecca

Everyone loved Prophet Muhammad (SAW). His family protected him like a gem and people called him Al-Amin meaning "the one who never lie" for his trustworthiness attribute. But since he was young, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) felt that something was wrong with the world. Although he is a member of the elite, he just could not fit in that society.

Fast forward to his adulthood - Prophet Muhammad prefers to be alone and often retreated to the Hira' cave in mount Nur. It was in this cave that he first received a revelation, which marked the beginning of his Prophet-hood. And life was never the same again for Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as he started to preach about Islam. The first to embrace his message was his beloved wife, Siti Khadijah, who believed him immediately after he told her of his experience in Hira's cave. She became his strongest support - emotionally and financially.

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) started preaching to others. He started first with his close friends and family members, then to others in secret. He told them that there is no god but Allah and that he is a messenger and the last prophet of Allah. He told them to do good deeds - no stealing, no zina (adultery), no drinking and no cheating.

We may be wondering at this point...

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was actually in a great position to take over the helm of leadership from his uncles. He is a member of the elite family! He just need to wait for his turn and once he is in power, he will be free to implement or abolish any rulings. But no, he chooses not to pretend to be someone he is not or pretended to accept the corrupted system and hoped to change it. He moved away from the system and rejected the offers he received from the leaders of Mecca. Perhaps this is a lesson that we should take heed of.

Within a short period of time, his message begin to pick up momentum and the number of his followers increased. This did not jell well with the leaders of Mecca, who happened to be his uncles. To the leaders, stealing, zina, drinking and cheating are simply part of their culture and also money-making channels for them. They hated him for threatening their livelihood. 

But they know that their chief, Abu Talib loved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) so very much and they dare not cross Abu Talib. They tried to persuade Abu Talib to take actions on Prophet Muhammad SAW to stop him from spreading this "new" religion. Abu Talib was torn in between. He was torn between his commitment to the leadership and his love for Prophet Muhammad SAW. He promised the leaders that he would speak to his nephew, which he did. But Prophet Muhammad SAW stood firm to his quest as commanded by Allah. Abu Talib respected the Prophet's decision and delivered that decision to the other leaders, with a warning "Muhammad is not to be harm!". Not long after that, Hamzah, a fearless warrior and also an uncle to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) also came forward with a similar but more stern warning that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is not to be harmed. Everyone knows Hamzah as the fierce army general and nobody dared to oppose him.

So, the leaders stayed clear of causing any physical harm to Prophet Muhammad (SAW), but that did not stop them from throwing insults after insults to the prophet and harm the Muslims. Muslim slaves suffered physical harm from their masters, the Muslim businessmen suffered isolation and ruins to their businesses and the others suffered verbal and physiological abuses on daily basis. And these abuses continued for the next 10 years, until Abu Talib passed away. Once Abu Talib passed away, the leader became more daring with their abuses.

Meanwhile in Yathrib...

Yathrib is a city northern to Mecca. It used to be a prosperous city, but that prosperity was destroyed by the on-going civil wars and power struggles between the two main tribes there, the Aus and the Khazraj. The people of Yathrib have actually grown tired of the infighting, but they just could not find a resolution to their problem.

(Illustration) On-going Infighting in Yathrib

There have been rumors spreading in Yathrib about a prophet in Mecca. The Jews there have been talking about a prophet who will be born in their lifetime and that this prophet will one day lead them to success. This rumors caught the attention of 6 men in Yathrib and they were given the description of this prophet, as well as when and where will he emerge. During a pilgrimage season in 620 AD, they went to Mecca searching for Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The information they have fits this man that they have heard so much about. One who is said to be preaching a "new" religion - the information fits Prophet Muhammad SAW perfectly. After meeting the prophet, they were convinced that this is the awaited prophet and they made a promise to follow his teachings. When the pilgrimage season was over, they went back to Yathrib and started to spread words about their meeting with the prophet in Mecca.

A year went by and it is pilgrimage season again. Those men who came to meet Prophet Muhammad (SAW) a year before, came to see him again. This time there were 12 of them. Remarkably, while Muslims continue to suffer insults after insults in Mecca, the teachings of Islam flourishes in Yathrib. Islam have become a uniting element between the two fighting tribes. The 12 men became Muslims and gave a baiah (pledge) to Prophet Muhammad (SAW). That pledge is now known as Baiatul Aqabah 1.

Once again, after the pilgrimage season that year, they went back home to Yathrib. But this time, two of the Prophet's companions, Mush'ab bin Umair and Amar bin Ummi Maktum, followed them back to Yathrib and became their referral points about Islam. Before long, there were hundreds of them who embraced Islam in Yathrib.

And the year after that in the year 622 AD, they came again to meet Prophet Muhammad (SAW). This time there were 73 men and 2 women. Once again they pledge support and loyalty to Prophet Muhammad (SAW). That pledge is now known as Baiatul Aqabah 2. Knowing how badly the Prophet and the Muslims were being treated in Mecca, they extended an invitation to the prophet to migrate to Yathrib and become their leader. They hungered for his leadership and Allah's guidance.

Masjid Aqabah

Not long after that, came a revelation for the Prophet and the Muslims to migrate to Yathrib. And the rest is history with the migration of the prophet and the Muslims to Yathrib and setting up the first Muslim government there. Yathrib is now known as the city of light - Madinah!

Hmm.. It saddened me actually to end the story like this. I have had to compress the story and missed out on some interesting stories in Mecca including these stories below. I feel that if I include these stories, it would have been too long. So, I would encourage that you look up these stories on your own. Insya-Allah, I will write those stories in a different entry.

• The Prophet's experience in Hira' Cave - The first revelation.
• The offer made by the leaders to Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
• The Prophet's visit to Thaif
• The Prophet's mukjizat of cutting the moon in half.
• The story of how Omar Al-Khattab embrace Islam.
• The story of how Bilal bin Rabbah was abused with a big stone put onto his chest.
• The great story of Isra' and Mi'raj.

But for now, perhaps this animation can fill in some of the stories that I have missed.
Enjoy watching and once again... Happy New Year!

CAMPAIGN TO SMEAR AND DISCREDIT ISLAM

Chain Email

I have always regarded chain emails as rubbish and I would always delete without even reading them. But this particular email got my attention and I started reading it. It was forwarded to by a friend, David. And the chain email originated from this person named John Harrison MBE. MIDSc.

Click image to enlarge: 

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A friend, Saleh, responded first to the email - To read Saleh's respond, click HERE.

I then added my own view to what Saleh have pointed out and here is what I wrote:

Hi David, 

The article you shared is really part of a campaign to smear and discredit Islam.

I am sure that John Harrison is an educated person based on the titles attached to his name - MBE. MIDSc. Yet his article severely lacks academic values. There are several obvious ambiguities that I would like to point out. 

May Allah give us guidance!

Firstly, what is the name of that Imam? Ask any academician - on an academic platform, the source of information is more important than the information itself. It does not matter how good or how convincing the information we may have, but if it comes from an unknown or unreliable source, we are NOT to accept it as facts. Being an MBE himself, John should already know this. But yet he chooses to tell a story without quoting the source clearly. 

Why is the name of that Imam important? Because as Saleh have pointed out correctly, the Imam's answer CONTRADICTS with the true teachings of Islam. If the Imam really said like what John mentioned, then I for one, would like to seek the Imam's clarification. Unlike John, Saleh backs his justifications with clear source of information - verses from the Quran. Now, I am not asking everyone to suddenly have faith in the versus of the Quran (I leave that with Allah - May Allah give us guidance), I am just pointing out the importance of having clear source of information to support whatever opinion we have. 

In other words - if we don't be believe Saleh, we can still verify his argument by referring to the Quran, the pure and unchanged words since its revelation more than 1400 years ago. 

But if we don't believe John, who or where can we verify his story with?

Secondly, John said that the Imam have confirmed that Muslims are going around killing all non-believers as they have been simply commanded by the religion. 

Let's think about this a little.... 

Based on John's own story, the Imam was sitting on the same stage with a Roman Catholic and a Protestant. I am assuming (again, John failed to mention the names of the speakers for us to verify who they are) that these must be well-respected preachers of the Christian faith to be invited as speakers. So logically, IF Muslims are indeed commanded to kill the non-believers simply on the fact that they are non-believers, don't you think that the Imam would have gained a much-much bigger reward if he kill the 2 Christian preachers who were sitting just a few feet away from him?  But yet, the three speakers can sit in harmony on the SAME STAGE and speak comfortably about their faith without fear. 

How is that possible? 

Thirdly, John asked the Imam, and I quote "would you rather have your Allah, who tells you to kill me in order for you to go to heaven, or my Jesus who tells me to love you because he will take me to heaven and he wants you to be there with me?". 

I feel that this is a very sinister question because he puts it as if Allah and Jesus are on opposing sides, which is ABSOLUTELY untrue for both faiths - for Muslims and Christian.

"YOUR Allah"?? Don't Christians believe in Allah too?

"MY Jesus"?? Don't Muslims believe in Jesus too? 

Muslims believe in Allah - the one and only god! And Jesus (Prophet Isa) is His messenger and not as a son of god. While Christians believe in Allah too and that Jesus as the son of god. 

My point is - In both faith, Allah and Jesus are on the same side and we should never portray this any other way.

And just to add - Does Muslims rejects or hates Jesus? Absolutely not! Jesus is one of the greatest messenger of Allah ever sent. Jesus' name is mentioned many times in the Quran glorifying him as a great messenger of Allah. There is even a specific chapter in the Quran dedicated to Jesus's mother, Mary - Surah Maryam. And there is another specific chapter in the Quran dedicated to Jesus's grandfather, Imran the holy man.

Islam is really a religion of peace and I really hope that John and others would stop smearing Islam like he did in this article. 

I am sure that he can quote a few names of Muslims leaders who have killed people in the name of Islam. And I in turn, can also quote names of Christians leaders who have slaughtered others in the name of the religion as well. 

But trust me, if we REALLY want to know about a religion - don't look at the people, but look (study) the scriptures of that religion because that is where the true teaching lies. For Islam, we have the Quran and the authenticated Hadith. 

Search for the truth and thank you for reading my respond.

THE NIGHT JOURNEY - ISRAK & MIKRAJ

Someone recently asked me about Solah (Prayers in Islam). To the best of my ability and knowledge (which is not much I must say), I explained about some basics and the verses to read throughout the performance of Solah. I then suggested that she find out / learn more about Solah. And there are a lot of write-ups available even in the internet that she can easily read. 

I also recommended a book for her to read, titled 'Soal Jawab Remeh Temah Tentang Solat' by Us. Mohammad Nidzam Abdul Kadir. This book contains many simple questions about Solah, that as a born Muslim, we may be shy to ask. I would also recommend this to everyone who may have questions, simple questions or not, about Solah.

For my friend, I thank Allah for opening her heart to ask me about Solah. In my heart, I actually envy her for asking, because I know that she will not be asking if there is no hidayah granted by Allah. And Masyallah, hidayah is not given to everyone - it is given only to the CHOSEN ONE as Allah have mentioned in the Quran.

"For sure you will not be able to give hidayah to anyone you love, instead only Allah can give hidayah to whoever He wants. Indeed Allah knows best on who deserved to be given hidayah"

(Surah Al-Qashash: 56)

May Allah continue to bless her with this priceless gift!

Moving on from there, I would like to now share what I know about Solah, particularly the history of Solah.

The way the command to perform Solah was given to Prophet Muhammad was special. It was NOT given like any other commands like do not drink, do not gamble, perform Hajj and so on. Those commands were given to Prophet Muhammad by revelations through the Angel Jibril. But for the command of Solah, Prophet Muhammad was taken to meet Allah 'in person' and received the command first-hand from Allah Himself. 

This is the story of Israk and Mikraj - The great journey of Prophet Muhammad. 

It happened in the 10th year after the first revelation in Hira' Cave. In that year, Prophet Muhammad lost 2 people most dear to his heart - His beloved wife, Siti Khadijah and his beloved uncle, Abu Thalib.

Siti Khadijah is a well-respected business lady at that time. She is also the FIRST believer in the true teachings of Islam. When Prophet Muhammad received his first revelation in Hira' Cave, he came down from the cave shivering and told his wife what has just happened. Without any hesitations, she accepted the revelation and she has always been the pillar of strength for Prophet Muhammad - financially and spiritually, until that year when she passed away.

Not long after the passing of his wife, Prophet Muhammad suffered another great lost when his beloved uncle, Abu Thalib also passed away.

Abu Thalib is a well-respected public figure at that time. All tribes have leaders of their own, but Abu Thalib from the Bani Hashim tribe is considered the head among them. During his life, when the people of Quraisy were angry at Prophet Muhammad for bringing a 'new religion', Abu Thalib defended his nephew from any harm from the people. Although Abu Thalib himself never accepted Islam, but his love for his nephew made the beginning of Islam much easier, until that year when he passed away.

During this sad period, Prophet Muhammad was taken on a great journey to meet Allah - The journey known as Israk and Mikraj.

'Israk' is the journey from Masjidil Haram in Mecca to Masjidil Aqsa in Jurussalam. 

'Mikraj' is the journey from Masjidil Aqsa on earth to the Arash of Allah. 

Masjidil Haram in Mecca

Masjidil Aqsa in Jurussalam

But honestly, Israk and Mikraj is a huge topic by itself. Insya-Allah, given the opportunity, I will elaborate about this great journey in more detail in another write-up soon. For now, I will fast forward the story to emphasize more on the receiving of the command for Solah.

During this great journey, Prophet Muhammad was accompanied by the Angel Jibril. They were together until they have passed the highest heaven. Then, Jibril said to Prophet Muhammed that he now need to continue alone to meet Allah in Sidratul Muntaha. And so he did.

As Prophet Muhammad entered, he gave praises to Allah:

"All praises, blessings, peace and goodness are Yours, ya Allah"

Allah responded:

"Peace upon you, ya Nabi, as well as blessings and barokah for you"

And Prophet Muhammad said:

"May peace be upon all of us, your faithful servants"

This conversation is now repeated in our every Solah during Tahiyyatul-Awal and Tahiyyatul-Akhir.

Allah then commanded the Solah be made compulsory for the people 50 times a day. Prophet Muhammad accepted the command and was on his way down, when he met again with Prophet Musa. Prophet Musa asked what was the command by Allah. And Prophet Muhammad answered 50 times compulsory Solah in a day. Prophet Musa feel that it will be too heavy of a duty for the people and recommended that Prophet Muhammad ask for the amount to be reduced.

And so Prophet Muhammad went back up to meet Allah and requested for the amount to be reduced. Allah granted the request and reduce the amount by 5, making it only 45 times compulsory Solah a day. On the way down, Prophet Muhammad met with Prophet Musa again and he told about the reduced amount. Prophet Musa feel that it is still too heavy of a duty for the people and recommended that Prophet Muhammad ask for the amount to be reduced.

And so Prophet Muhammad went back up to meet Allah and requested for the amount to be reduced. Allah granted the request and reduce the amount by another 5, making it only 40 times compulsory Solah a day.

This process repeated many more times, until the amount of compulsory Solah was just 5 times a day. Even that, Prophet Musa feel that it is still too heavy for the people and recommended that Prophet Muhammad ask for the amount to be reduced. But at this point, Prophet Muhammad feels so ashamed to meet Allah again to ask for the amount to be further reduced. And so it is, the compulsory Solah for Muslims now remain as 5 times a day.

In a hadith by Anas bin Malek, he said:

"Five times daily prayers have been made compulsory to Prophet Muhammad on the night of Israk and Mikraj for 50 times daily, then it was reduced to 5, then Allah said "Ya Muhammad, indeed my words will not change and the reward for that 5 times is the same as 50 times for you""

May Allah give us guidance and blessings always!

LET'S SOLAT!! :)

PEOPLE OF THE CAVE - ASHABUL KAHFI

Have you heard about the story of Ashabul Kahfi before?

Well, I often go for coffee sessions with Johari, a friend from work. During these coffee sessions, sometimes we talk about movies, another time we would talk about politics, other times we simply talk about things, which is also famously known as 'Sembang Kedai Kopi'. Hehe.. 

Recently, Johari brought up the story of Ashabul Kahfi - (Arabic words meaning 'The Cave Men' or 'People of the Cave'). Not really a new story for both of us. We have heard of this story many times before because it is one of the famous stories from the Quran. After that talk with Johari, I went on to find out more about this story and I am now interested to share this story with the world - My World!!
(Hint: That's the name of my Blog) :)

Now, let me start with a little intro on why this story was mentioned in the Quran.

One day, there was a non-believer who have just heard about a man named Muhammad (S.A.W), claiming himself to be the Messenger of Allah. The non-believer then approached his friend, a Jew living the city of Madinah to ask for his advise on how to prove that Muhammad is a liar.

And the Jew advised him "Ask him about Ashabul Kahfi". And so he did as advised.

This is when Surah Al-Kahfi was revealed to Prophet Muhammad by the Angel Jibril.

THE TIME FRAME: This is a story after Prophet Isa (Jesus) and before Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.

THE LOCATION: The cave is believed to be located about 7 KM from Amman, Jordan.

Ok, actually there seems to be some disputes on the actual location - some say that it is in Syria, some say that it is in Iraq, while some others say that it is in Turki. Wallahualam! But the strongest claim is the one in Jordan. The area where this cave is located in Jordan used to be called Ar-Raqim because there was an old archaeology site there named Khirbet Ar-Rqim. And the word 'Ar-Raqim' can also be found in the Quran in this particular surah.

NOW, THE STORY: There used to be a state ruled by a king. Its people have always been believers and followers of the teachings of Prophet Isa (Jesus) and they have been prosperous. But all these changed during the time of King Dikyanus. At this point, people have already started to associate Allah with other idols, which is a grave sin. King Dikyanus is one of those who worship idols and he ordered all of his people to do the same. He even threatened to kill whoever disobeyed him. So, everyone obeyed.

Everyone, except for seven young men among them. They remained steadfast with the teachings of Prophet Isa - There is no other God besides Allah!

Their names are Maksalmia, Martinus, Kastunus, Bairunu, Danimus, Yathbunus and Thamlika. And this is their story.

Before I proceed any further, I think it is worth for me to mention that there is a dispute with regards to the total number of Ashabul Kahfi. Some say 3 people, some say 5 people and some say 7 people. But Allah reminded us not to prolong the dispute because it is considered part of ghaib. Only Allah knows the actual number of Ashabul Kahfi. With that, let's continue with the rest of the story.

King Dikyanus was extremely angry when he heard of their refusal. He ordered for these seven disobedient men be brought before him for questioning. And Allah mentioned their bravery facing the king in the Quran:

"And We strengthen their hearts when they stood (in front of the king) and they say - Our god is the god of heaven and earth. We will never worship any other gods (idols) beside Him, because if we do, indeed we have strayed very far away from the truth. The people have associated Allah with these other idols, but why have they not given clear reasonings (for worshipping idols)? Who are more cruel than those who have created lies against Allah?"

(Surah Al-Kahfi : 14-15)

The king got very angry and gave those seven men a few days to reconsider on their beliefs. After that few days, they either have to submit to idols worshiping or they will be killed. Once back home, they discussed on what would be their next course of action. And Allah have given them the idea of hiding in a cave as mentioned in another verse of the same surah:

"And because you have disassociate yourselves from them and from what they worship besides Allah, so go now and take refuge in that cave, and your God will give blessings upon you and provide you with means to make your dealings successful with help that are useful"

(Surah Al-Kahfi : 16)

So they went to this cave in the hill of Nikhayus. On the way to the cave, they found a dog named Kithmir, which also followed them to hide in the cave. Allah gave them peace and tranquility in the cave and they soon feel sleepy... sleepy... sleepy... and they slept.

How long did they sleep?

Well, that is the peak of this story - They slept for 309 years!

Before Islam, people of the book followed a calender, the Gregorian calender as we know it today. Based on that calender, these young men slept in the cave for 300 years. But Allah corrected the number of years to be based on the Islamic calender when this story was revealed to Prophet Muhammad, as mentioned below:

"And they slept in the cave for three hundred years, and you must add another nine years"

(Surah Al-Kahfi : 25)

When they finally woke up, they didn't realize how long they have slept. They thought that they must have slept for a day or half a day only. And they soon feel hungry and they voted for one of them to go to the city to buy food. Thamlika was selected to carry out the task. So, he went to the city with the silver coins that they had brought with them to the cave earlier.

Once in the city, Thamlika noticed that the city is not how he remembered it to be 'just a day before'. He also noticed the wordings of "There is no other God besides Allah" displayed openly in the city. He got curious, but still very careful as to not raise any suspicious, because if the king found out about them, they will be killed for sure. But when he wanted to buy food, the shop owner was surprised to see old coins handed to him. Those coins are now considered as valuable treasures. The news about a man with treasure coins spread quickly and Thamlika soon found himself accused of hiding a treasure chest somewhere, which he vehemently denied. He was then brought in front of the king to be tried.

Thamlika was surprised again to see that the king is no longer the king he knew, who wanted to kill them earlier. This new king is a just person and one who follows the true teachings of Prophet Isa, just like him. So, he told the new king of what has happened to them and why they went to hide in the cave. What Thamlika remembered as 'yesterday', is actually an event that happened centuries ago. Upon hearing this, the king and his men went with Thamlika to the cave. But not long after arriving at the cave and Thamlika were re-united with his brothers, the Ashabul Kahfi drew their last breath and died.

The story of Ashabul Kahfi became an immediate reminder to the people that Allah is always true to His words and there is no doubt about after life (Kiamah). May Allah give us knowledge and guidance from their story.


OTHER STORIES (click title to read):

• The Great Migration - Hijrah.
• The Night Journey - Israk & Mikraj.
• History of Aidiladha and the Kaabah.
• Campaign to Smear and Discredit Islam.

VISITING TURKEY - PART 1

ARRIVAL IN ISTANBUL

After surviving a 10-hour flight from Malaysia, we finally arrived in Istanbul, Turkey. : )

A beautiful morning greeted our arrival in Istanbul. The sun was just rising up that day and the temperature was about 6 degrees Celsius. For someone who comes from a tropical-climate country, my wife and I were shivering!! But it does not hinder us from admiring the view. We have heard so much about this beautiful country, but this is the first time that we have had the chance to visit. We started taking pictures almost immediately and only stop 8 days later. click! click! click! Hehe.. :)

We have pre-booked our accommodation in the Aslan Hotel, which is just walking distance away from Turkey's most famous landmark - the beautiful Blue Mosque. We checked into the hotel, had our breakfast and off we go, venturing our first day in this beautiful country. We took a walk to the Blue Mosques, which actual name is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque. The nick name 'Blue Mosque' came about from its blue-ish appearance. 

Sultan Ahmad Mosque (The Blue Mosque)

Historically, this mosque was build in the 1600, meant to match the beauty of Al-Aqsa Mosque of Jurussalam at that time. It stands beautifully until today as a fully functioning mosque. It is simply a breath-taking sight! Benches were also prepared just outside the Blue Mosque for people to just sit and admire the beauty of the mosque.

Just across from The Blue Mosque, there stood another magnificent structure named Hagia Sophea, also pronounced as Ayasofia. A structure that not only stood the test of time, but also the change of religion rules. 

Ayasofia

Inside Ayasofia contains well-preserved relics from both the Christianity and the Islamic civilizations. Ayasofia used to be a church, which was later converted into a Mosque during the rule of the Ottoman Empire. But now, it is neither a church nor a mosque - it has been made into a museum now.

Islamic and Christianity relics well-preserved

Inside Ayasofia

Inside Ayasofia

Inside Ayasofia

Next, we visited an old palace, which is just a walking distant away from the earlier two landmarks. 

The palace, once an administrative center during the Ottomon Empire, is now a museum - Topkapi Palace. 

Entrance to Topkapi Palace

Relics in this palace goes way back, even before the royals of Turkey. It actually goes back to the time of the prophets. We had the opportunity to view the relics of Prophet Muhammad SAW including his footprint, his official seal, his armor, his beard and his sword.  

Besides that, we also saw relics of other prophets. Some of these relics includes the stick of Prophet Musa (Moses), with which he used - with the will of Allah - to confront the Pharaoh and also split the Red Sea; the  the sword of Prophet Daud (David), which he uses during his reign as king of Jurussalam; the turban of Prophet Yusof (Joseph), which he wore during his lifetime; and the cup of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), which he used to drink from.

Sadly, we were not allowed to take any photos in there. We can only take pictures from outside the rooms of the palace.

The room that contains relics of the prophets

Topkapi Palace

Topkapi Palace - Royal Council Hall

We spent the whole day for those 3 landmarks, then we head back to our hotel room and ready for Day 2.

Read PART 2 here - STILL IN ISTANBUL

LEARNING FROM MISTAKES AND SECOND CHANCES

As we know, changes happen all the time. Think about it.. how have our lives changed through the years. Some of the changes are based on our conscious decisions, while some changes are inevitable and we just have to follow the flow. From the day we were born, whether we realize it or not, we have been making decisions for ourselves and would have already made a lot of mistakes. Some still haunt us till today. But through those mistakes, we are able to grow up. And as we grow up, we become a better decision maker. The more mistake we make, the more we learn and the wiser we become.

And very often, mistakes happen when we are faced with changes that we are unfamiliar with. This is because our mind would need more time to consider the best option to react to the changes and due to that, we may end up picking the wrong option.

That is how learning process works.

If we were to repeat the situation in which we have made a mistake before, our mind should now recognize the situation. So, it is unlikely that we are going to pick the same option because our mind now knows that it would lead to the same outcome - a mistake. We would have learned from it and will pick the other option.

Everybody deserve that chance to make things right pick the other option. Learning from mistakes is indeed a build-in human ability.

Now, let's move the other part of this topic - "Second Chances".

Some of us may be strict and demand for perfection, while some may be more lenient in giving second chances. Then there are those who frequently takes advantage of the leniency of others by continue to repeat the same mistakes, with the confident that they will always be forgiven and getting second chances. Well, we all know that second chances may not always be the case.

It is sometimes disheartening to see a person's future ruined from their mistakes in the past and was not given a second chance to prove otherwise. But it is also equally disheartening to see a person not learning from his mistakes and keep repeating them.

So, who gets to decide the deserving criteria for second chances? And who gets to decide how many 'second chances' that one person deserve?

Here are some quotes I collected from the internet:

"Sometime you need second chances, because time wasn't ready for the first one"

"Life isn't forever, so make sure we do our best the first time because sometimes there aren't any second chances"

"Everyone makes mistakes in life, but that does not mean that they have to pay for it for the rest of their life. Good people makes bad choices too sometimes. It doesn't mean that they are bad. It just means that they are human"

"You cannot call it a mistake, when you do it over and over again"

"Second chances does not always lead to a happy ending, but at least we don't have to keep wondering 'what if..?' "

WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE SECOND CHANGES? HOW MANY WOULD YOU GIVE?

HISTORY OF AIDILADHA and THE KAABAH

A few days ago, one of my non-Muslim friends, Letchu, asked me about the history of AIDILADHA? Although unexpected, I was happy that he asked me that question. As a Muslim, I may have taken it for granted and assumed that everybody KNOWS the history of Aidiladha. That question from Lechu made me realize that it was wrong for me to assume.

If you have some time, let me share with you now the answer I gave him.

Letchu asked me that question because his son recently asked him that same question and he was not very sure of the answer.

"What is Aidiladha, appa?" ask his 7 years old son.

He told his son that Muslims are required to perform religious ritual and pilgrimage known as Haji in Mecca at least once in their entire life. That is why Muslims every year celebrates Aidiladha, which is also known as Hari Raya Haji - which is to celebrate those who have completed their Hajj Pilgrimage.

I was impressed and told him that that answer he gave his son is correct. So, I just elaborated a little bit more.


THE DATE

AIDILADHA falls on the 10th of Zuhijjah every year. Zulhijjah being the final month in the Islamic calender. If we are following the Western calender (also known as the Gregorian calender), we may feel like the date of Aidiladha changes every year. But in the Islamic calender, Aidiladha is always on the 10th of Zulhijjah.


HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

In Islam, the date of 10th Zulhijjah has two major significance - Date for union and date for sacrifice.

First significant - 10th zulhijjah is the date in which Adam and his wife Hawa (Eve) were reunited on earth. Regardless of what religion you may be, I believe that everyone knows the story of Adam and Hawa - how they were banished from heaven after falling for Iblis's trickery to get them to eat the forbidden apple. For that one moment of weakness, they were both banished from heaven.

Before I continue, allow me point out that Adam and Hawa regretted that they had foolishly fallen for the trickery of Iblis. They repented their whole life and Allah have accepted their repentance.

When they were sent down from heaven, they were placed at two different locations on earth. They were separated for many years. Some say 40 years, while some say a few hundred years - wallahualam (Allah knows best). After many years of searching, they finally found each other again at Mount Rahmah in Arafah. That reunion is indeed a cause to celebrate as it marks the beginning of human race.

Now, a day before the anniversary of the reunion of Adam and Hawa, Arafah became the place of union again for all hajj pilgrims to perform their first hajj ritual, Wukuf . Hence, Aidiladha is also known as Hari Raya Haji.

Mount Rahmah in Arafah

Second significant - Aidiladha is also known as Hari Raya Qurban.

Qurban is an arabic word meaning 'sacrifice'.

During the time of Adam and Hawa, there is a story about qurban. A story told in the Quran in Surah Al-Maidah about Adam's two sons, Habil and Qabil. These two brothers worked in different areas. Habil works in the cattle farm, while Qabil works in the field. Came a command from Allah for both of them to perform qurban, which is to sacrifice their harvest. That is the first qurban in human history. Habil chooses the healthiest among his breed of cattles to be sacrificed, while Qabil chooses the worse from his crops. Habil's sacrifice were accepted, while Qabil's were not. Out of anger and jealousy, Qabil later killed his brother, Habil. That marks the first murder in human history.

But the history of why Aidiladha is also known as Hari Raya Qurban is more closely related to the history of Porphet Ibrahim and his son, Prophet Ismail. And this relates to another significant history of the 10th of Zulhijjah.

Qurban (sacrifice)

The second significance of the 10th of Zulhijjah is that this is the date when Prophet Ibrahim were to carry out his duty to slaughter his son, Prophet Ismail. This is told in the Quran in Surah As-Shafaat, where Prophet Ibrahim received a command from Allah through a dream to slaughter is son, Ismail. He then told about his dream to Ismail, who was only 7 years old at that time and Ismail replied :

"Oh father, go ahead and carry out the duty as you have been commanded. You will see that I am one of those who are patient" 

So, Prophet Ibrahim took his son to a slaughtering place in Mina. Here, both father and son have truly shown absolute faith in Allah. Ismail willingly lay there to be slaughtered, while his father begin to cut his throat. They both had their eye closed during the slaughtering - and a miracle happened. As they open their eyes, they realize that Ismail is still alive and what Ibrahim had actually slaughtered was a kibas (species of a camel). Allah replaces Ismail's place with the kibas because the dream was really a test as Allah confirmed in the Quran.

That is the history of Aidiladha and why it is also known as Hari Raya Haji and Hari Raya Qurban.


Letchu then asked me another question :

"What about the history of Kaabah and the Black Stone?"

Kaabah and Hajar Aswad

Here's what I told him.

Before earth was even created, angels used to make Tawaf around the Arsy of Allah. Both the words 'Tawaf' and 'Arsy' actually carries its own elaboration, but to translate that into easily understood words - the angels used to circle around the throne of Allah, just like how we see Muslims circling around Kaabah today. But the Arsy of Allah is too big, even for the angels. It took them a very long time to complete a single circle. So, Allah created a mosque under His Arsy as a place in heaven for the angels to perform Tawaf. The place is call Darul Makmur.

When Adam was sent down to earth, Allah commanded him to build Kaabah on Earth. The angel Jibrail helped marked the place where Kaabah should be and Adam started digging the spot. And that is all Kaabah was back then. The spot where Jibrail had marked is directly below Darul Makmur. It is said that if Darul Makmur were to fall down to earth, it would crush the Kaabah.

As for the black stone, Hajar Aswad, it is a stone from heaven and was sent down to earth with Adam. But angels kept this stone in one of the hills in Mecca called Qubais Hill. This stone was originally white in color and it has the ability to absorb all of human sins, should we be able to kiss it. But after many-many-many years of absorbing human sins, it is now black in color and took the name of Aswad, which is an arabic word for 'black'.

After Adam passed away, his son, Syith build some sort of a structure on the spot where Adam had initially dug. However, during the time of Prophet Nuh (Noah) and the history of the big flood, that structure was completely destroyed.

It is not until Prophet Ibrahim's time, that Allah has commanded him to rebuild the Kaabah. This is when the history of Kaabah and the Black Stone came together.

Prophet Ibrahim and his son, Prophet Ismail took stones from seven hills around Mecca to build the Kaabah. While they were building, the angel Jibrail took out the Black Stone from Qubais Hill and gave it to Ibrahim to be made part of the Kaabah. The structure still stand until today, with several preservative measures taken from time to time.

That is the history of the Kaabah and the black stone, Hajar Aswad.

Wallahualam.

DARE TO FAIL vs FAILURES : LET'S UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BEFORE TAKING THE PLUNGE

I read the books 'Dare To Fail' by Billi Lim and 'Who Moved My Cheese?' by Dr Spencer Johnson a few years ago, and I had the privilege of reading them again recently.

Excellent books which I would recommend to everyone.

These books talk about changes in life and how many of us would rather hang on to our old methods and easily get panic when changes happen. Think about it, what dreams and fantasies have we put aside to settle for a routine that we are already familiar with, although deep down, we know that we can do more or deserve more?

Yes, indeed we may have put a lot of effort into stabilizing our lives. So, why on earth would we want to go through that period of uncertainty again just to chase after a dream, right? Well, that's a valid question. But we hardly want to hear the answer because our mind is already made up and we are staying put!

The good news is I am not going to elaborate too much about these books. I shall leave it in your hands to decide if it would be worth a read. What I would like to point out is the misconceptions that many people have gotten from these books (through no fault of the authors of course).

I have heard many people quoted the title of these books, without really understanding the content. Let me say that the book 'Dare to Fail' is NOT a book about how to fail with style, but rather it talks about having that confident to pursue a quest or a dream, even if failure is one of the possible outcome. Likewise, the book 'Who Moved My Cheese?' is NOT a book about being greedy and blindly moving about in life from one dream to another, but rather it talks about the courage and the mindset towards changes in life.

I am afraid that these misconceptions could lead to a disastrous outcome, rather than what those books are intended for.

Humans has the capability of learning from our mistakes.

Remember how we learn how to walk? Well, maybe we can't remember our own experience, but look at how babies learn how to walk. They have to fall down a couple of times first before they could finally properly walk, right?

Remember how we learn to avoid dangers? Out of curiosity as a child, we tend to venture into things that could really hurt us - poking the electrical sockets, touching a hot plate, running on a slippery surface, playing in the rain or taking other people's things without permission. Not knowing that those are potential dangers, we were sometimes surprised to suddenly get scolding for doing those things, remember? Again, if we can't remember our own childhood, then look at the children's faces now when they get scolding for doing something that is harmful. They looked so innocent as if they did not know that those things are dangerous. The fact is, they REALLY did not know! But they will learn from that experience and will avoid doing those things again.

Remember how we learn how to ride a bicycle? We have to endure falling down a couple of times first before we could finally ride the bicycle properly. On this, let me share my own experience. I learned how to ride a bicycle first before learning to use the breaks. 

Funny story - Although I knew the function of the break, but I always use my feet as breaks. On a flat ground, that is not a problem. One day, going down a hill, my bicycle gained speed and I got panic. It did not immediately occur to me to use the hand break to slow down the speed. As always, I used my feet instead. Boy, my bicycle wobbled so bad that day. And for some reason, only then did it suddenly triggered me to use the hand break. So, in that wobbling situation, I squeezed the hand break and the bike stopped!

Big mistake!!

It immediately threw me forward. I flew in the air and then rolled down the rest of the way to the bottom of the hill. Before I could pick myself up, the bike which was rolling down after me, landed directly on me. An experience I can never forget.

This is not me! Just a photo I pick from internet to illustrate my point

Well, enough of going down memory lane. The point is, it is a natural talent of humans to learn from mistakes. We learn so much as a child and we progressed so much into adulthood. But as we grow up, we somehow stopped learning. Agree? Disagree? Well, hear me out.

When was the last time we really made a mistake and learn from it?

Have we really conquered perfection that we no longer make mistakes in our lives?

Or it is because we are afraid of making mistakes that we avoid things altogether?

But wait! Don't be too quick to take the plunge. Before we start making changes in our lives blindly, think about it and plan for it. Seek out as many information as we can to make an informed decision. After that is done, HAVE THAT COURAGE to make changes and continue to seek for a better life.

That is what it is all about!

LEARN TO DELIVER A SPEECH LIKE A PRO - Click Here

EVER WANTED TO BE A TV PRESENTER??

Perhaps many of us have been to an audition before. Deep down, we know that we have what it takes.. we are talented. But how can we really prepare for an audition??

Well, ask them..........

Zakiah Anas, Hj Omar Abdullah, Kamal Affandi and Mazidul Akmal are celebrities who requires very little introduction. They have been in front of the national TV cameras as well as behind the scene as editors and producers. They have been in the selection panel during auditions for new presenters.

Who best to answer your questions about auditions besides these guys?

Come and join this program by CakapDotCom - Read Here.

Election Fever : POLITICAL BAGGAGE..

Election fever is definitely in the air!!

While other politicians are still playing the guessing game on when the 13th General Election (GE13) is going to be held, one man seems to have already started to sprint, making headlines after headlines. That man is none other than Anwar Ibrahim. He seems to be pulling all stops in what many are describing as his last stride.

Anwar political career have been nothing but spectacular. His student days as an activist against the government are still being talked about till this day, as well as his overnight U-turn from student activist to an UMNO member, his high speed rise to power within the BN government which almost saw him helming the Prime Ministership, his downfall from power and life in confinement, his controversy released in 2004, his entrance back into active politics and his ever changing character from an ultra-Malay to someone who now enjoys the support of the Non Malays more than the Malays.

Anwar is regarded as a (god given) hero among the opposition, who miraculously glued together 2 opposing opposition parties - PAS & DAP. It is an open secret that these 2 parties can NEVER work together because of their fundamental differences. But with Anwar and his PKR party being the binder, PAS & DAP are now seen holding hands. Ironically, until today, they have put very little effort into 'marrying' the 3 parties. This loose coalition between DAP, PKR and PAS gained some significant grounds in the last election, by capturing 5 states in the Peninsular Malaysia. Everyone (even people from the BN camp), cannot deny that that 'political tsunami' in 2008 was due to the 'Anwar' factor.

However, the tune have changed lately because there have been a rapid declining trend of that 'Anwar' factor among the general public and among the opposition themselves. If Anwar Ibrahim was seen as the champion for the opposition in 2008 GE12, he is now seen as a BURDEN that the opposition has to carry. Since 2008, the nation have also witnessed the biggest 'number-of-people-leaving-a-party-in-a-single-term' in history.

The most prominent name of those who left PKR is none other than Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan. His departure from PKR captured world-wide coverage, not because of the departure per say, but because of the accusations he made against  Anwar. 

Who is Saiful?

Saiful used to be Anwar's private assistance, who follows Anwar abroad and arranging for Anwar's daily schedule. However, he later claimed to have been sodomized by his boss (Anwar) on several occasions and lodged a police report. Anwar was charged under Section 377B. And after years of legal battle, Anwar was eventually found NOT GULTY of this charge on technical basis in 2012.

His defense lawyers successfully argued that the prosecutors have actually filed the charge under the wrong Section.

Section 377B says : "Whoever voluntarily commits carnal intercourse against the order of nature shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to twenty years, and shall also be liable to whipping"

In one media interview, Karpal Singh, who was Anwar's lead council in this case said
"If they filed it under 377B, then the sodomy was consensual and both parties (i.e Anwar and Saiful) should be charged. Why is Anwar facing this charge alone??"  

Karpal then explained that the correct section that the prosecutors should have filed this charge under was Section 377C.

Section 377C says : "Whoever voluntarily commits carnal intercourse against the order of nature on another person without the consent, or against the will, of the other person, or by putting the other person in fear of death or hurt to the person or any other person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of not less than five years and not more than twenty years, and shall also be liable to whipping."

The rest of the details about this sodomy case are history and Anwar remains a free man.

Other heavyweights who has now left PKR includes.

Dr Chandra Muzaffar - PKR (ex) Deputy President

Ezam Mohd Noor - PKR (ex) Youth Chief and also a Co-founder of the original 'KeADILan' party.

Ruslan Kassim - PKR (ex) Information Chief

Zainur Zakaria - PKR (ex) MPT Member

Datuk S. Nallakarupan - PKR (ex) MPT Member

Marina Yusoff - PKR (ex) Vice President

Mohd Annuar Tahir - PKR (ex) Secretary General

Anuar Shaari - Anwar's (ex) Private Secretary

Lokman Noor Adam - PKR (ex) Youth Secretary

Zahid Md Arip - PKR (ex) Deputy Youth Chief

Hamdan Taha - PKR (ex) Deputy Election Director

Datuk Salehuddin Hashim - PKR (ex) Secretary General

Faizal Julaili - PKR (ex) Sabah Youth Secretary

Awang Mumin Awang Marali - PKR (ex) Papar Secretary

Abdul Rahman Osman - PKR (ex) Treasurer

Saidatul Badru Tun Said Keruak - PKR (ex) Vice President

Jeffrey Kitingan - PKR (ex) Vice President

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim - PKR (ex) Vice President

Nazaruddin Darmawan - PKR (ex) Kuala Selangor Youth Chief

Fauziah Sulaiman - PKR (ex) Kuala Selangor Women Chief

Abdul Manap Shahardin - PKR (ex) Election Candidate and also a Co-founder of the original  'KeADILan' party.

Datuk Dr Halili Rahmat - PKR (ex) Hulu Selangor Treasurer

Soraya Sulaiman - PKR (ex) Perak Information Chief

Roshanita Mohd Basir - PKR (ex) Bagan Serai Deputy Chief

Aminah Abdullah - PKR (ex) Penang Women Chief

FEDERAL SEATS       

Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed - Member of Parliament Bayan Baru

Tan Tee Beng - Member of Parliament Nibong Tebal

Mohsin Shamsuri - Member of Parliament Bagan Serai

Zulkifli Nordin - Member of Parliament Kulim Bandar Baru

Wee Choo Keong - Member of Parliament Wangsa Maju

STATE SEATS

Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi - ADUN Behrang

Kapten (B) Mohd Osman Jailu - ADUN Changkat Jering

Gabriel Adit Demong - ADUN Ngemah

Md Radzi Salleh - ADUN Lunas

Badrul Hisham Abdullah - ADUN Perlabuhan Klang

V. Arumuggam - ADUN Bukit Selambau

Fairuz Khairuddin - (ex) Deputy Chief Minister of Penang

These are no ordinary people!!

They used to be leaders in PKR and strong supporters of Anwar Ibrahim. Their support for Anwar were so strong that some of them have even paid the price for breaking the law in Anwar's name. But after 2008, it was as if they were awaken from a spell and realized who Anwar really is.

And just like that, the magic in Anwar's name disappeared and his trusted circle started to rapidly shrink.

These people later join forces to form an NGO named "TIBAI", an acronym for Tolak Individu Bernama Anwar Ibrahim.

TIBAI aims to expose to Malaysian and the world just who Anwar Ibrahim really is. Rallies and gatherings have been organized by TIBAI for that purposes.

Meanwhile, those who still remains with him, including his political allies from DAP and PAS, are watching these developments closely and are doing their own calculation. Deep down, they cannot deny that Anwar was the one who got them together in 2008 under the unofficial banner of Pakatan Rakyat, but they definitely do not want to be dragged down with Anwar, should he fail. And everybody knows that without Anwar, PAS and DAP will be on each other's throats in split second.

They have learned to be weary of Anwar's statements because they know that Anwar is very slick with his words and is capable of saying something with confidence, even if it is not true.

Anwar proved this shortly after GE12 in 2008 when he announced to the world of his promise to overthrow the democratically-elected ruling party by 16 Sept that year, through ways of getting enough member of parliament from the ruling party to defect. The entire coalition of PR was brought to shame when this promise did not materialized.

Another was in 2010 when he came out bashing the Jews and Israel for illegally and brutally capturing a Malaysia's humanitarian vessel to Gaza. Everyone supported that motion. But a few days after, leaders in PR were put to shame again, when Anwar decided to make an apology visits to US over his allegedly anti-semantic statements.

Another was when he made statements that the laws on homosexual needs to be reviewed. Knowing the fact that homosexual is rejected in ALL religion, he once again made his political ally dumbfounded over his statement.

Another was at the Bersih 3.0 rally when Anwar was caught on video as the one giving instructions to demonstrators to break the police barricade, which is the turning point of that rally turning from a peaceful event to a violent one. Even Bersih demonstrators came out to criticize him for doing that.

Another was when the video of him having sex with a prostitute came out in the open. He continuously deny this, but until today dare not take legal actions on those who made the exposure.

And many more examples.

I am sure that I don't have to mention what Anwar's political enemies think about this promises, but is it not a secret that a lot of his own supporters and political allies are becoming weary of his words.

Lately, Anwar is seen to travel in style, AS IF trying to portray his capability to garner wealth.

The first was the PKR Bus. Funny how they call it the PKR bus, when the bus has Anwar's picture on it as big as the bus itself. This is weird because Anwar is not holding any official position in PKR. He is regarded as the De Factor Leader (Ketua Umum) of PKR, but that position is neither an official title nor was it open for contest in PKR's own election. In other words, the position Anwar is holding in his own party is a non-democratic position. A more suitable picture to be on that bus is picture of his wife, Azizah who is the Party President or Azmin Ali, who is the Party Deputy President. And if PKR claims that they are fighting for democracy, why are they glorifying someone who is holding a non-democratic position in the party?

Then there was this luxurious private plane that Anwar used to travel while in the East Malaysia. Again, AS IF Anwar is trying to portray his capability to garner wealth.

Here's a thought, all politician knows that the closer you are to the grass-root (i.e the way they talk, the way they spend, the way they travel, the way they eat), then the bigger political mileage that they would gain. So, one have to wonder just what is Anwar trying to do when he travels luxuriously on a bus with his face on it and on a private plane. Something the average Malaysian wouldn't even dare to dream of? Being an experienced politician, Anwar knows that by doing so, he is actually distancing himself from the grass root.

So, I wonder just who is Anwar trying to impress? Foreign support maybe?

Since GE13 is just around the corner, it is up to the rakyat to decide - are we going to maintain the status quo based of the growth and benefits that Malaysia has achieved or change for the sake of changing? What will happen when we go for change just for the sake of changing and put Pakatan Rakyat is Putrajaya as the federal government?

Remember this - Although Anwar is the opposition leader now, but his PKR party is not the majority holder in Pakatan Rakyat. He is being put there on the mercy of DAP. Again, this itself is going against the spirit of democracy, which is supposed to be the voice of the majority. If DAP really regards Anwar as a supreme leader, one who is even more superior than their own party president, then they should ask for DAP and PKR to merge and put Anwar is his 'rightful' place as supreme leader.

Why put someone who does not command the majority in the coalition as the opposition leader?

Again and yet again, Pakatan Rakyat have shown that they don't respect democracy, even if they continuously claimed that they do. But as the saying goes, action speaks louder than word.

I'll leave you with that thought. To me, wwhatever the result of GE13 may be, it proves that democracy is very much alive in our blessed nation - which is great!!